FORT SMITH -- Fort Smith is in an amazing place after several years of hardship, Mayor George McGill said in his state of the city address Monday.
The mayor, speaking at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, discussed all of the accomplishments the city made in 2022 despite continued impacts of the historic flood in 2019 and the covid pandemic in 2020.
McGill also spoke about the Foreign Military Sales Pilot Training Center program. Ebbing Air National Guard Base at Fort Smith Regional Airport was selected last year as the Air Force's preferred location for a pilot training center for Singapore and other countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales program.
The program would accommodate up to 24 foreign Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft and move 12 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Singapore Air Force, currently at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz.
While Ebbing is the preferred location, the Air Force may chose Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, Mich., if the center couldn't be at Fort Smith.
The Air Force released its environmental impact statement in the Federal Register last month, which includes comments received from the public and stakeholders from a 45-day draft period last fall. It's in a mandatory 30-day waiting period before signing a record of decision, which could happen Tuesday at the earliest.
McGill said if Ebbing is selected, the River Valley could see an annual economic impact of $800 million to $1 billion.
"We're going to be welcoming them hopefully in June or July," McGill said. "What they're trying to do is they're trying to compress a five-year process into three years, so that timeline could gradually move as they get closer, but from all indications, they're going to be coming to Fort Smith."
McGill said one of the key pillars of a good community is having a strong health base. He said the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education is aiding in this as it prepares for its first group of doctors to graduate.
"And they're getting ready to to have a ribbon cutting on the country's largest health and wellness research center here in America," McGill said. "That's here in Fort Smith. Think about it, 150 to 160 research scientists living and working in Fort Smith, talking about the value of having good health and wellness."
McGill also recognized Mercy Hospital's more than $160 million expansion at 7301 Rogers Ave. The hospital plans to expand its emergency room from 29 to 50 rooms and the intensive care unit from 38 to 64 beds, which Mercy says will allow it to care for an additional 25,000 patients each year. The expansion will also include the construction of a two-floor parking garage and other service lots creating more than 140 parking spaces for the campus.
Construction is projected to end in 2024 and result in 300 permanent direct and indirect jobs across the River Valley totaling more than $25 million he said.
"Those things don't happen by accident," McGill said. "The leadership out there, they didn't pull their name out of a hat. So they're going to invest $160 million in this city. They had to compete for that money."
McGill said in the last four years, the city has invested more than $80 million in drainage and wastewater work. The city entered into a consent decree in January 2015 with the U.S. Department of Justice, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality. Fort Smith agreed to repair and upgrade its sewer system after decades of sewage runoff into local waterways, including the Arkansas River.
The city agreed to spend more than $200 million over the next 12 years to upgrade its sewer collection and treatment.
The original decree deadline was Jan. 2, 2027, but the city said it couldn't afford to do all of the work by that date. The city was granted a five-year extension to 2032.
McGill said through the consent decree work the city has built a good relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure Fort Smith can meet the needs of its residents.
McGill said Chaffee Crossing is preparing to be the crossroads for America with the new section of Interstate 49 connecting it to Interstate 40 at Alma and the widening and expansion of Arkansas 255.
The Arkansas Good Roads Foundation and the Arkansas Department of Transportation co-hosted a meeting in the summer to inform highway commissioners about the economic impact the extension of I-49 will have.
The new section of I-49 will be built in phases and is expected to be four lanes and nearly 14 miles long, costing an estimated $800 million, according to the Department of Transportation. A new 7,800-foot bridge over the Arkansas River is priced at $250 million.
Lorie Tudor, director of the Transportation Department, said during the meeting the bridge is the first phase of construction and will begin in 2024. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2030.
Ward 3 City Director Lavon Morton said he agrees with McGill the city is in a good position and that he thinks Fort Smith has a very bright future.
"There's a lot of construction going on. We have job openings all over the city. We need more workers. People have said that. The mayor said that. Fort Smith has an advantage that the cost of living here is lower than other metropolitan areas in the state. There are many other good attributes that Fort Smith has that put us in a very good position going forward," he said.
McGill said in 2023, the city plans to tackle the challenges it's faced for several years and make decisions to improve Fort Smith's future.
"Things that may not pay off tomorrow or next month or next year, but we're going to stay ahead of the curve and make those hard choices and make sure our future is secure," he said. "That means making sure we have adequate water supply. That's making sure that our police and fire departments have the very best equipment and very best training available. And when problems arise, we won't panic. We will not panic. We'll collect our thoughts and be the professionals we are."
Mayor George McGill (right) visits Monday with residents after giving the 2023 State of the City address at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Mayor George McGill delivers the 2023 State of the City address Monday at the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. The event was hosted by the UAFS Democracy Project and the UAFS Political Science program. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)